StEPs Lab 5: Risk Assessment — What’s Your Kryptonite?

Being prepared and identifying the potential threats to one’s institution are the best ways of reducing risks to cultural collections. Organizations cannot move ahead to the development of an emergency plan without a clear-eyed understanding of the areas where their institution is most vulnerable to loss and damage. StEPs Lab 5 will focus on the general risks facing cultural institutions, how to perform a site survey to identify your organization’s greatest risks, and mitigation strategies for addressing those vulnerabilities. An institution’s corporate culture (beliefs and values), policies, and procedures will all be discussed.

Guest speaker Donia Conn will also offer sample templates for performing a risk assessment, from small to complex. Donia Conn is a book and paper conservator as well as an independent consultant for small and mid-sized cultural heritage institutions. She has worked in the fields of conservation and preservation for over 20 years.

Participation in StEPs Labs offers in-depth information on topics central to the operation of your museum, historic house, site, or related organization. Applying what you learn in a Lab to your organization’s policies and practices means you are making meaningful progress. The more progress you make, the more boxes you can check off in the StEPs workbook. The more boxes you check off, the more Bronze, Silver, and Gold certificates you earn. And that translates into more credibility, more support, and a museum that is a valuable asset to its community for many more years to come.